INCOMPLETE

3 months, 2 weeks after Asura

"I'm glad you could make it, Rudra."

"Always a pleasure, Lord Death." She would have bowed, but she was wrapped in chains. They pinched her skin painfully if she moved the wrong way; and considering she walked from the basement to the Death Room, Rudra wasnt too keen on adding more bruises to her collection. Stein was standing behind her, and Kid had moved to stand with his father and Spirit. The death scythe was giving her a scathing look, one she returned with a smile.

Stein's hand was on her back, pushing her towards the steps that became the platform that Lord Death's mirror loomed over. He was standing a few feet in front of it, waiting patiently for the pair to come closer so he could size her up better.

"So, I don't think it's very hard for us to guess what you're doing here."

"It seemed pretty hard for Kiddo to figure it out." A Reaper Chop was only inches above her head before the wind pressure stopped it. Indignant, the reaper pulled back his large hand. He should have known that would happen; after all, these weapons knew what his touch would do to them.

"You came here to make a kishin; and what will you do now that you have one?"

"That's the funny thing, you keep thinking there was a plan. My plan was to follow Agni, and her plans were her own."

"Then why did you decide to come back?"

"It's more complicated than me simply returning to face punishment. I rejected the kishin Soul Eater and I allied myself with Black*Star, who is superior in power. He was no exception to the effects of wielding me; and as such, I acted to protect my meister and his weapon before myself." There was a strange silence in the room, one that felt unnatural. Everyone had words on the tips of their tongues, but no one was able to speak.

She had chosen Black*Star as her meister? The question was rolling around in everyone's minds, but the person it bothered the most was Kid. How could she choose a different meister? Weren't her abilities costly to those who used them? If that wasn't true, then why was Black*Star in the hospital? Were her intentions to control him this whole time?

Just then, Kid caught her eyes. It was like in the dungeon; she wasn't lying, but she wasn't happy with the truth that she was sharing. She had to choose the strongest person in the immediate vicinity that could battle a new-born kishin, and the only option was him. Rudra knew the consequences of being held by human hands; it was harder to redirect their soul wavelength, and it was also harder to keep them alive.

The extreme power the swords granted came at a heavy price. While the wielder experienced increased speed and power, their minds were taken control of; the weapons would become parasites, controlling a body while wielding themselves.

"I didn't want to know a whole lot after... After what happened with Maka. But I know they're going somewhere in Hawaii; something to do with volcanoes. And if they have Agni, whose sole power is to fire in all its forms..." She left the question hang.

"Whose side are you on?"

She couldn't bring herself to say Black*Star; he was too impulsive for her to follow him singularly. She couldn't say Tsubaki and Black*Star, because even combined they had too many flaws for her to want to depend on them. She couldn't say Agni, because following Agni would mean following a path she couldn't continue down. Rudra would never follow a reaper; much less Stein or Death Scythe.

"Black*Star, Tsubaki, Kilik, the Pots, Maka, Liz, Patti, Crona, Ragnarok... Even Kid. Apart, you all have too many flaws for me to be able to follow you. But all of you together? I could get behind that."

She may have had them convinced she was no threat, but they still slapped a leash on her and told Stein to hold the other end.

The meister tugged harshly on her, and she gagged in an exaggerated fashion before turning back to him and sticking out her tongue. She hated the fact that he had stuck her with this guy, though. Stein was one of the only meisters she couldn't control; he was already teetering on the edge of madness, but his soul was powerful. Combined with the madness, he would swallow her and wield her empty carcass; a sword with no wind.

She frowned and turned the corner, walking a bit slower when the collar pressed against her neck a bit too harshly. Rudra didn't like these confines, but she supposed it was alright. She needed to make some rounds now. It had been a week, but Black*Star was still in the hospital. It was to be expected; he almost completely crumbled before her might.

They came upon the sick bay and Stein went in first; Rudra hesitated, unsure of if she could face what she had done. He didn't tug this time, he let her stand there and decide. Her foot slowly lifted and she resumed her pace, quickly finding herself hovering over Black*Star. She figured he would be the easiest to apologize to, if she had to start somewhere.

She had put him in more danger by trying to help him, she knew. Lord Death was busy preparing to strike Arachnophobia and Agni, but he had suffered heavy losses from their plans; Maka, one of their strongest meisters and one of the only meisters who could sense souls was entrenched in madness, and her weapon Soul Eater posed an entirely different problem.

They didn't need to deal with a kishin on top of two ancient and powerful blades.

Her eyes slowly travelled up his body, taking in the dark scars on his hand. Without thinking, her fingers reached out to touch the lightning-like scar tissue, only for him to jolt awake and grab her hand. He blinked a few times before his face contorted in anger, and he brought his other fist up to punch her. His hand grazed her face, and she was staring at him in shock. She knew what that punch should have done.

She would be surprised if he could even stand up right now. She had rooted herself deep in him and she took his strength as payment for her power.

"I'm sorry." He snorted at her and crossed his arms across his chest.

"For what?"

"Black*Star, I don't know where to start. Honestly. There's a lot that you've learned, I'm sure. And I don't think I'd forgive me, because I did some sheisty things. Like hurting Maka. I don't know why I even went along with it; maybe it's because I'm too much of a coward to do the right thing when it matters." She was looking at him, her face worn as she let out a long, unsteady breath.

He couldn't fathom it. She was apologizing to the wrong person, for starters; yeah, he was pissed that she had taken part in breaking Maka's soul, and yeah, he wasn't okay with his best bro being the center of madness and evil, but she hadn't hurt him. Tsubaki had filled him in on what had happened after she took control of his body.

It was strange to see his weapon, the sweet, mild-mannered woman, so enraged. She had gone on about betrayal, about how Rudra had come here with the intention to hurt people; and as such, she couldn't be sorry when she did it. It made sense to him. But this didn't.

"Have you talked to Tsubaki? Or Crona?"

"You were the first person I thought of. I messed you up pretty badly." Her gaze shifted from her lap to his skin; streaks of shiny scar tissue marred his arms and neck, and she was sure there was more under the gown. She knew what happened when she fused to a normal human.

"I'm surprised I didn't kill you."

"Tch, there's no way I'd die by wielding a weapon! I'm the man who surpassed God! And since you're a weapon fit for a God, then it only makes sense that I was able to use you."

She didn't know if she should argue that she had used him. It was confusing enough that he wasn't hostile anymore; especially after she admitted to harming some of his closest friends. She couldn't imagine what Agni would do right now if she were here-

A frown marked her displeasure at the thought of her sister. Rudra didn't want to admit it - but she hated every moment of being alone. There was no comforting presence near her while she slept. And while she never depended on others - Rudra would once against hate to admit it - she depended on her sister desperately. She was independant because her sister allowed it.

"Do you accept or reject my apology?"

"I reject it, cause you don't need to apologize to me. You need to talk to Maka."

"Whoa, no way, you're not smoking in here!" Nygus was on Stein before he even brought the lighter to his cigarette. He looked warily back at Rudra before dropping the leash and stepping outside. Nygus returned to her office to fill out more reports, and to look over papers.

It was awkward, being interrupted in the middle of an important conversation. But Rudra took this opportunity - she stood up and leaned close to Black*Star, seemingly fluffing his pillows.

"If I can get my hands on Maka, it might cure her. Our madnesses may cancel each other out, their backlash would affect only me. I haven't told anyone else about this because I'm not even sure if it'll work-"

He weakly headbutted her, making her wince and rub the spot; a thin line of blood dripped down and he was surprised to see that it was black. He should have expected it; but the pain in his shoulder came back as he placed a hand over it. She swatted his hand away and put hers over the wound before pressing down. It felt as though shrapnel was trapped in his skin, and she was holding a magnet over him. It was pull out of him and he noticed blood dotting his bandages. In Rudra's hand was a solid, black ball that she absorbed into her hand.

"What the hell was that?"

"My blood is black. I can harden it in my veins, or I can harden it on the ground. I can make ice patches, bloody needles, bloody rain. And the thing about this stuff is that if it gets into a human, it'll make them go mad after a while." He remembered something similar about Crona; their blood was black. Maybe they were related? He chuckled to himself before remembering her earlier information. She could get Maka back. He sat himself up in the bed, all of his muscles protesting.

"I drained you of every bit of strength you had. You need to rest. If you don't, you'll die and then there will be no way that we could hope to beat Agni and Soul."

"You mean she didn't come back with us?" Her downcast expression made him regret asking. Stein opened the door and motioned for Rudra to come with him. She mustered up a smile; she didn't have it in her to answer him.

She picked up the leash and strode to the door, handing it to the meister. She turned to face Black*Star, who was still watching her.

"Okay. I'll talk to Maka."